Public adjuster vs dealing with the insurance company directly

I had a small fire in my garage last year in LA and had to decide whether to handle the claim myself or hire a public adjuster. I tried dealing directly with the insurance company at first, but they lowballed me on smoke damage and contents.

It felt like they were dragging their feet on every detail. After a few weeks of back-and-forth, I hired Onsite Public Adjusters and they took over negotiations, documented everything properly. Got me about 40% more than the initial offer, including better coverage for cleanup and replacement costs. It cost me 10% of the additional payout, but it was worth it for the stress relief and extra money.

I'm curious, did you stick with the insurance company or bring in a public adjuster? How did it turn out?